How many of these have we looked at over the years here? How many of us used to drive one? And if not, how many of us never rented one?
Yes, the A-Body FWD Century and its stablemates were once everywhere; now they’re becoming worthy of respect for those ever-fewer survivors, especially the earlier (pre-1989) four sealed beam headlight versions. Like this one spotted on our early morning walk.
My first direct experience with one of these is when our downstairs apartment neighbor in Santa Monica finally got tired of the endless issues with his beautiful W108 280SEL that he had picked up used a year or so earlier. It was his dream car, but given his long commute, it was becoming a bad (and expensive) dream. So he ditched it and bought a brand new Buick Century shortly after they came out in 1982. Same color as this one, at that.
I saw it coming; not the Century, but the issues with the big Benz. He didn’t know how to work on it, so was at the mercy of the expensive independent Mercedes mechanics that did a very brisk business in that part of the world at the time. Klaus and Wolfgang and Dieter and all the others were minting it. Some even changed their names and put on a fake German accent.
I don’t think his had the ever-so useful trunk-top luggage rack. Did you ever see one with luggage attached? Not me. Where did this idiotic fad start anyway?
The Century’s interior was hardly up to the standards of the 280SEL, but if you want GM reliability, you make sacrifices.
It was comfortable enough, and his Saturday morning stress level seemed decidedly lower. Instead of peering into the Mercedes’ engine compartment with a worried and frustrated look, he and his wife and their new kid drove off somewhere. Wouldn’t you really rather have a Buick?
The A body has to be the all time most unpopular car with automotive journalists. I remember how they went out of their way to slag these cars because they didn’t have enough G-forces or a manual transmission lever that falls easily in the hand. The decried the lack of bahn-burning (as if that were ever a thing in North America) and sedate manner in the twisites, or canyon-carving, as it were.
Yet the customers loved them. The were roomy and by this time, GM had made the mechanicals very reliable. I had an FE3 Cutlass Ciera for a while as a beater, but it was a great beater. Yes, the body was a bit rough, but the interior was perfect
It was the car they couldn’t kill. I remember seeing ex-rentals lined up at the Budget store at unbeatable, bargain basement prices.
The real issue is these cars were made well past their sell by date. GM sold these things unchanged up to 1996 which helped solidify Oldsmobile and Buick as an old persons car.
Yet the customers loved them, GM sold loads of them and made fat profits on every unit.
Go figure!
The problem is the people they sold these to were not young people. I grew up during the 90s and none of my friends would’ve bought one of these new. I did have a friend who inherited one from her Grandma and it was a good car, but she got it for free. Meanwhile lots of people were driving Honda’s. Sure, GM trucks were very popular, but these felt like GM was giving up on an entire segment of cars. That being said these were comfortable and had plenty of pick up with the V6. I get why people like these.
I’ll tell you an A-body story. When my sister got out of high school she needed a car to get to work, but couldn’t afford to buy one yet. My dad, devout GM man, looked around and got her a lightly used Chevy Celebrity. Must have been 1982-84 as it had the original headlight configuration. One night we got a call – the cops saying my sister had been in an accident. I jumped in the car and drove out to the scene; it was only a few minutes away. She’d been hit head-on by a drunk driver. I remember sitting on the passenger side velour with her waiting for the ambulance. My dad was an equally devout seat-belt wearer, which he had passed on to us, so of course she was strapped in and basically OK. So she put the money from the settlement in her savings account and my dad bought her – yes – another Celebrity.
That’s melodramatic but really – roomy inside for its size -and obviously sturdy in the pre-airbag era; maybe my sister got lucky but hers were totally reliable; comfortable, boring – if they had been launched only as Chevrolets they’d be ranked up there with the Falcon.
Looks like someone needs a window regulator!
Window regulators are definitively worldly trappings and need to be shunned. This is a truly wholistic approach to setting aside such things of the world.
I think these are a right sized, nice looking, all purpose car. Buicks are a bit fancier inside compared to a Chevys or Olds, I like the full width tail lamp treatment and the B pillar of the roof has some forward angle to it. Back when these were being previewed in the auto shows alongside cars like the upcoming Lincoln Mark VII, Car and Driver magazine was very excited by the design. The author of the article wrote that if they had a Mercedes star or BMW badge on the trunk, buyers would be lining up to buy them.
Subscribed to hear the stories .
-Nate
The ’86 -’88 Century was to me was the cleanest, most cohesive and generally best looking of all the A-Bodies. I was an Olds man coming into the ’80s, and found the early Cutlass Cieras fussy and the other A-Bodies a bit too plain. The slight forward cant to the ’86 Century front end update and the new full-width tail light were actually kind of refreshing in a world gone aero at the time.
Buick was still selling a boatload of these in ’86, and not as loss leaders. Make mine a Century Custom with the simpler interior, flat oversize hood ornament and road wheels or the base wheel covers and loaded with every option.
Close, but needs the right wheels….
Still one of my favorite cars, based on memories of reliability. I love these in wagon form, growing up in the 80s it was a popular car for friends parents. We had K car wagons and my dad didn’t like the minivans or GM so buzzy tractor like 2.2 derivatives for us. But when friends came to get me in a A body wagon it was a thrill. Going to the movies to see the latest Freddy or Jason pic with the rear jump seats loaded down and 8 of us in the car….Good Times!
I have mentioned it before, my own later styled 93 Century was one of the best cars I owned. A recent beater, it never let me down, a busted coolant line on an AM commute was the only issue in 5 years of owning it and I fixed it at work that day. Rust and a poorly repaired accident from the PO finally was its demise. Great cars.
I own a 1993 Buick Century I bought back in 2018 as winter car never let me down it’s body was a little rough interior was close to perfect condition decided to get all the body work done and had it painted in July new rims& tires looks like a new car again I get compliments everywhere I go
Brother in law and sis rented a Buick like this in 89 LA they described it as horrible and scary to drive any kind of turn simply didnt work it simply wallowed around unless slowed to a crawl.
@Bryce ;
I beyt the tires were low on pressure .
I rarely rent cars but occasionally drive others rentals and have had the same scary feeling and every time I discovered the ties only had -just- enough pressure to keep them off the ground .
-Nate
The 5th straight GM ‘corporate’ platform that suffered from brand dilution with little distinction between the four separate marques. The cover of Fortune magazine showed how difficult it was to tell them apart.
Where’s the Cadillac!!?? 😉😉😉
It probably wouldn’t have killed them to try, if only just to rinse the Cimarron taste out of our mouths….
It might still exist on paper as a concept drawing or a mockup in the GM design offices.
That magazine cover is a little harsh.
If you at 1958 GM cars, or 1965, or the NOVA or Collonade from the 1970s, they all had the same profile from A-pillar to C or D-pillar. The windows were probably interchangeable.
The front ends and sheet metal were different (on the mid-size and up). You couldn’t put Impala doors on an Olds Delmont or 88.
That said, these A-car were another nail in the coffin. They were expensive at the introduction (82-84) (because, “we are GM, and FWD costs more, but it’s as GM car, it’s worth it” mentality), and had lots of issues. They were several people’s last GM car. Ever.
Now, by 1986, the quality glitches were fixed, by 1990, these were anvil-like. But GM also cheapened the exterior/interior, to control costs, at the same time everyone else was creeping up in materials, so these became the classic rental car.
I don’t recall ever seeing any FWD A-body with two headlamps.
I don’t recall ever seeing any FWD A-body with two headlamps.
Paul was referring to the two different types of A-body vehicles: one being rear-wheel-drive (1978–1981) and one being front-wheel-drive (1982–1996). The RWD A-body was renamed as G-body, often referred as “G Model” after the introduction of FWD A-body in 1982.
The RWD A-body had two large rectangle headlamps while FWD/AWD A-body had four rectangle headlamps (later as two composite headlamps in 1988 for 1989 model year).
Actually I was referring to the composite headlights that arrived in 1989. They do have four bulbs/lights, but a single cover on each side, so that from any distance they appear to be one unit/light, unlike the very clearly differentiated quad sealed headlights in this and other earlier versions.
Were can I find a front bumper 1993 brick century
I’ve always liked the look of the front of the 1986-88 Buick Century… before they went to the boring composite lamp treatment. But I much prefer the unilamp rear of the later cars.
My friend’s Mom drove a 1988 Century in this exact color for years. Shoot… she might *still* be driving it. These cars were anvil tough in these years going forward.
I had one of these stop next to me in traffic just last week! It was occupied by a couple of girls who appeared to be of either high school age or maybe just a bit older. Grandma’s Buick was still serving the family, was my first thought.
I admire these for their fortitude, but never liked the way they felt – everything you touched felt thin and cheap and plasticky. In this way they were like the old Mopar A bodies of the 70s, which were durable and reliable but which were not finished to anywhere near industry standard of the day.
I guess the luggage rack idea came from compact sports cars – you could these for MGB and TR4/5/6 easily enough, and the MX-5. And these were inheriting something from the pre-war period, when a boot/trunk was not always a given.
The only other saloon I can think of with anything like this was the optional boot mounted spare on a Rover P6
Had an 87 Century. 2.5 iron duke. Basic car with a/c, fm radio. Not even delay wipers! Got rid of it with 515,000 miles & it was still running. Replaced it with an 86 Century Limited. Fully loaded, plush. It had the 2.8 carberated engine! A known turd. It had 80k when I got it & I got 223,000 miles outta it
Here’s the thing though, it did damage to GM in an image way. I grew up during the 90s and when me and my friends thought of GM it was one of these. I.E. a rental car that maybe your aunt drove, but not something you wanted yourself. Sure some people had used one’s and they were fine, but no one I know my age would’ve bought one. Honda’s, Toyota’s? Sure. Maybe. GM trucks DID sell well, but these showed they had basically given up on the regular car market as something young people wanted to drive.
That’s a spoiler, not a luggage rack. It creates so much downforce, the long strips spread the massive torque on the sheet-metal over a larger area! Or, it’s a handle for geriatrics to close the trunk. I mean, how could you possibly secure luggage to it?
I only knew this as a fleet car. We had hand me down executive cars at our remote desert location, one of these and a Roadmaster. Comfortable, stone reliable and the A/C blew ice cold. Previous Fords we had were junk.